Wyclef Jean Ditches Fundraiser: Republican Ties Too Strong?

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Wyclef Jean dropped out of a fundraiser to benefit veterans after finding out it would be held in Tampa Bay during the Republican National Convention. Country singer Sarah Evans has stepped up to fill the vacated spot on the bill.

The event is sponsored by Got Your 6, a not for profit organization that focuses on matters concerning military veterans. As a vocal Barack Obama supporter, ‘Clef was criticized for performing at the event which would be heavily attended by Obama opponents. For ‘Clef, the perceived connection with the Republican Convention was the deal breaker.

“We were originally contacted by the Got Your 6 organization, but not the GOP…as soon as we found out that the event was around the Republican Convention, we pulled out,” Clef spokesperson Joe Mignon told HaitianBeatz.com.

While ‘Clef dropped out of the charity due to RNC conflicts, Got Your 6 maintains that the event and the organization is about veterans and does not get involved in partisan politics.

“Got Your 6 is a nonpartisan organization and we have events coinciding with both conventions,” spokesman Megan Harverland told CBS Local. “Got Your 6 is using the election cycle as a platform to bring attention to voters about issues concerning the 1 million returning veterans. While our events are during conventions, we are separate from them.”

Wyclef was originally scheduled to appear at the August 29th event, which was slated to be co-hosted by Megan McCain, the daughter of 2008 Republican presidential nominee, John McCain. He took the place of Randy Travis who dropped out due to a DUI arrest. —Keith Murphy, CBS Local with additional reporting by E. Parker